Latest news with #Presidents'AllianceonHigherEducationandImmigration
Business Times
7 hours ago
- Business
- Business Times
Student arrivals to US continue to plummet, led by Asia decline
[WASHINGTON] Visitors to the US arriving on student visas plunged in July, falling year on year for a fourth straight month. The declines were most pronounced from Asia, the largest international education market, as the Trump administration's immigration policies created bottlenecks and a chilling effect on prospective students. Total arrivals on student visas decreased 28 per cent to just under 79,000, the biggest monthly drop so far this year, data from the International Trade Administration show. Student arrivals from India plummeted 46 per cent while China posted a 26 per cent decline. The twin drops from the two largest sources of foreign students provides a grim snapshot that threatens to disrupt the financial models of US colleges and universities. US universities have already warned that first-time foreign student enrolment on campuses are projected to fall by about 30 per cent this fall, potentially costing the education sector US$2.6 billion in tuition revenue. The sharp downturn follows a series of policy changes and administrative hurdles from the White House around tightening immigration and foreign student scrutiny. The measures have created a climate of uncertainty and resulted in significant backlogs and delays at US embassies and consulates in key Asian markets. 'There are real reasons for concern,' said Zuzana Cepla Wootson, deputy director of federal policy at the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, whose members are university leaders. 'It's part of a broader pattern under this administration. The travel ban, expanded screening processes, appointment backlogs – all these create uncertainty for students from China, India and beyond.' BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The Trump administration announced a pause in interviews for student visas in late May. In mid June, the State Department said it would resume interviews, while also ordering reviews of applicants' social-media profiles. The timing of these policies, during the peak summer visa application season, has been particularly damaging and doesn't bode well for student arrivals in August, which historically is the peak month for new students entering the US. The visitor arrival figures do not break down whether those coming in are new or returning students. Many already on student visas may have chosen to stay in the US and not travel this summer due to the administration's scrutiny of international scholars, Wootson said. Officials at schools with large Asian student populations, such as the University of Southern California (USC), have said that that a continued decline could result in tens of millions of US dollars in lost revenue. USC already faces a deficit of US$200 million. Arizona State University President Michael Crow meanwhile said visa delays have been more disruptive than the pandemic. A record 1.1 million international students enrolled in US higher education institutions in the 2023-2024 school year, according to Open Doors, which collects data on foreign scholars. India was the top country, with nearly 332,000 students, followed by China with about 277,000 that academic year. BLOOMBERG
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Business Standard
9 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Student arrivals to US continue to fall, declines from Asia most pronounced
Visitors to the US arriving on student visas plunged in July, falling year-on-year for a fourth straight month. The declines were most pronounced from Asia, the largest international education market, as the Trump administration's immigration policies created bottlenecks and a chilling effect on prospective students. Total arrivals on student visas decreased 28 per cent to just under 79,000, the biggest monthly drop so far this year, data from the International Trade Administration show. Student arrivals from India plummeted 46 per cent while China posted a 26 per cent decline. The twin drops from the two largest sources of foreign students provides a grim snapshot that threatens to disrupt the financial models of US colleges and universities. US universities have already warned that first-time foreign student enrollment on campuses are projected to fall by about 30 per cent this fall, potentially costing the education sector $2.6 billion in tuition revenue. The sharp downturn follows a series of policy changes and administrative hurdles from the White House around tightening immigration and foreign student scrutiny. The measures have created a climate of uncertainty and resulted in significant backlogs and delays at US embassies and consulates in key Asian markets. 'There are real reasons for concern,' said Zuzana Cepla Wootson, deputy director of federal policy at the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, whose members are university leaders. 'It's part of a broader pattern under this administration. The travel ban, expanded screening processes, appointment backlogs — all these create uncertainty for students from China, India and beyond.' The Trump administration announced a pause in interviews for student visas in late May. In mid June, the State Department said it would resume interviews, while also ordering reviews of applicants' social-media profiles. The timing of these policies, during the peak summer visa application season, has been particularly damaging and doesn't bode well for student arrivals in August, which historically is the peak month for new students entering the US. The visitor arrival figures don't break down whether those coming in are new or returning students. Many already on student visas may have chosen to stay in the US and not travel this summer due to the administration's scrutiny of international scholars, Wootson said. Officials at schools with large Asian student populations, such as the University of Southern California, have said that that a continued decline could result in tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue. USC already faces a deficit of $200 million. Arizona State University President Michael Crow meanwhile said visa delays have been more disruptive than the pandemic. A record 1.1 million international students enrolled in US higher education institutions in the 2023-24 school year, according to Open Doors, which collects data on foreign scholars. India was the top country, with nearly 332,000 students, followed by China with about 277,000 that academic year.
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Indian student arrivals nearly halve in the US on Trump visa policy
Student arrivals from India to the US have nearly halved as President Donald Trump's adverse student visa policy took hold. Total arrivals on student visas fell for the fourth straight month in July 2025, declining 28% to just under 79,000. (representational image)(Unsplash) Total arrivals on student visas fell for the fourth straight month in July 2025, declining 28% to just under 79,000, according to data from the International Trade Administration compiled by Bloomberg. That was also the biggest monthly drop so far this year. Student arrivals from India fell 46% while China posted a 26% decline. The twin drops from the two largest sources of foreign students provides a grim snapshot that threatens to disrupt the financial models of US colleges and universities. To be sure, US universities have already warned that first-time foreign student enrollment on campuses are projected to fall by 30% this autumn, potentially costing the education sector $2.6 billion in tuition revenue. The sharp downturn follows a series of policy changes and administrative hurdles from the White House around tightening immigration and foreign student scrutiny. The measures have created a climate of uncertainty and resulted in significant backlogs and delays at US embassies and consulates in key Asian markets. 'There are real reasons for concern,' Zuzana Cepla Wootson, deputy director of federal policy at Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, told Bloomberg. 'It's part of a broader pattern under this administration. The travel ban, expanded screening processes, appointment backlogs—all these create uncertainty for students from China, India and beyond.' The Trump administration announced a pause in interviews for student visas in late May. In mid June, the US State Department said that it would resume interviews, while also ordering reviews of applicants' social-media profiles. The timing of these policies, during the peak summer visa application season, has been particularly damaging and doesn't bode well for student arrivals in August—historically the peak month for new students entering the US. The visitor arrival figures don't break down whether those coming in are new or returning students. Many already on student visas may have chosen to stay in the US and not travel this summer due to the administration's scrutiny of international scholars, Wootson said. Officials at schools with large Asian student populations, such as the University of Southern California, have said that that a continued decline could result in tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue. USC already faces a deficit of $200 million. Arizona State University President Michael Crow meanwhile said visa delays have been more disruptive than the pandemic. A record 1.1 million international students enrolled in US higher education institutions in the 2023-24 school year, according to Open Doors, which collects data on foreign scholars. India was the top country, with nearly 332,000 students, followed by China with about 277,000 that academic year.
Boston Globe
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
What to know as Trump's immigration crackdown strips tuition breaks from thousands of students
The tuition breaks once enjoyed wide bipartisan support but have increasingly come under criticism from Republicans in recent years. Advertisement Here's what to know about the tuition breaks: Texas' program was blocked first Texas' tuition policy was initially passed with sweeping bipartisan majorities in the Legislature and signed into law by then-Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, as a way to open access to higher education for students without legal residency already living in the state. Supporters then and now say it boosted the state's economy by creating a better-educated and better-prepared workforce. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The law allowed students without legal resident status to qualify for in-state tuition if they had lived in Texas for three years before graduating from high school and for a year before enrolling in college. They also had to sign an affidavit promising to apply for legal resident status as soon as possible. Texas now has about 73,000 qualifying students enrolled in its public universities and colleges, according to the most recent estimate from the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a nonpartisan nonprofit group of university leaders focused on immigration policy. The latest estimate is an increase over earlier projections because of a change in its methodology for identifying qualifying students. Advertisement Texas has about 690,000 students overall at its public universities. The difference in tuition rates is substantial. For example, at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, a 34,000-student campus along the border with Mexico, a state resident will pay about $10,000 in basic tuition for a minimum full-time class schedule in the upcoming school year. A nonresident student will pay $19,000. Political pushback and a swift end Texas' law stood mostly unchallenged for years, but it came under fire as debates over illegal immigration intensified. In the 2012 Republican presidential primary, Perry apologized after saying critics of the law 'did not have a heart.' The law withstood several repeal efforts in the Republican-dominated Legislature. During the legislative session that ended June 2, a repeal bill did not even get a vote. But the ax fell quickly. After the Trump administration filed a lawsuit calling the law unconstitutional, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a key Trump ally, chose not to defend the law in court and instead filed a motion agreeing that it should not be enforced. In Oklahoma, which the Presidents' Alliance estimates will have about 2,700 students affected, Attorney General Gentner Drummond, also a Republican, filed a similar motion. 'Rewarding foreign nationals who are in our country illegally with lower tuition costs that are not made available to out-of-state American citizens is not only wrong — it is discriminatory and unlawful," Drummond said in a statement. Advertisement Campuses nationwide feel the impact At least 21 states and the University of Michigan system have laws or policies allowing tuition breaks for the immigrant students, according to the National Immigration Law Center, which favors them. Those states include Democratic-leaning ones such as California and New York, but also GOP-leaning ones such as Kansas and Nebraska. According to the center, at least 16 states allow the immigrant students to receive scholarships or other aid to go to college. Nationwide, the Presidents' Alliance estimates more than 510,000 students without legal resident status are enrolled in colleges and universities, about 85 percent of them in undergraduate programs. Immigration lawyers and education advocates said they are assessing whether there are legal avenues to challenge the rulings.
Time of India
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Trump's crackdown is ending in-state tuition for undocumented college students in the US
Tens of thousands of undocumented college students in the US are facing a sharp increase in tuition costs as a result of lawsuits backed by the Justice Department under President Donald Trump 's immigration agenda. Starting with Texas, and now extending to states like Oklahoma, Minnesota and Kentucky, the administration is pushing to eliminate in-state tuition benefits for students without legal residency. The shift is already being felt on public college campuses. Texas alone has about 57,000 undocumented students enrolled in public universities and colleges, according to data from the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. These students had previously qualified for in-state tuition based on state laws, not their immigration status, but those policies are now being challenged or rolled back. Why this matters to students The gap between in-state and out-of-state tuition is not minor. At the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, for instance, a resident student pays about $10,000 annually in basic tuition, while a nonresident pays nearly $19,000 for the same course load. Losing in-state status could mean the difference between continuing college or dropping out for many students who already face financial uncertainty. The Justice Department, in a recent lawsuit filed in Oklahoma, argued that 'federal law prohibits aliens not lawfully present in the United States from getting in-state tuition benefits that are denied to out-of-state US citizens.' The lawsuits claim there are no legal exceptions, even if students have lived in the state for years and graduated from local high schools. This development directly affects access and affordability, two of the most important concerns for college students. While the number of states offering in-state tuition for undocumented students has grown over the past two decades, these new legal efforts could roll back hard-won access. What changed in Texas Texas had long been viewed as a national example of bipartisan support for in-state tuition access. The state's policy was signed into law in 2001 by then-Governor Rick Perry, a Republican, after receiving strong backing from both parties in the Legislature. It allowed undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition if they had lived in Texas for at least three years, graduated from a Texas high school, and pledged to apply for legal status when eligible. But the tone began to shift as national politics became more polarised around immigration. In the latest Texas legislative session, a bill to repeal the law was introduced but did not reach a vote. The change came instead through the courts. After the Trump administration filed a lawsuit against the state, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton declined to defend the law and instead filed a motion to end its enforcement. The result was swift: a policy that had stood for over two decades was effectively halted within weeks. More states may follow At least 21 states and the University of Michigan system currently offer in-state tuition to undocumented students, according to the National Immigration Law Center. These include not only traditionally liberal states like California and New York, but also conservative-leaning states like Kansas and Nebraska. In at least 16 states, undocumented students also qualify for scholarships or state-based financial aid. With lawsuits now targeting states beyond Texas, the future of these tuition policies is uncertain. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, following Texas's lead, also agreed not to defend the state's tuition break in court, calling it 'discriminatory and unlawful.' This signals that more legal rollbacks could be on the way, especially in states with Republican leadership. What students and campuses are doing now For many undocumented students, the road to college was already full of obstacles — financial, legal, and emotional. The loss of in-state tuition could make higher education entirely inaccessible for some. Immigration attorneys and education advocacy groups say they are exploring legal pathways to challenge these decisions, though any resolution could take time. In the meantime, campuses are beginning to assess how to support affected students, whether through private scholarships, fundraising, or legal clinics. For current and prospective college students, especially those who are undocumented or come from mixed-status families, it's a moment of uncertainty. The shift could also impact student diversity, enrollment trends, and long-term workforce development in states that had previously invested in inclusive tuition policies. As of now, the message from federal courts and attorneys general aligned with Trump is clear: tuition breaks tied to state residency, not legal immigration status, are under legal threat. What to watch If you're a student in the US concerned about tuition policy changes: Check your state's current laws on in-state tuition eligibility for undocumented students. Follow your college's updates on financial aid or legal support for affected students. Stay informed about pending lawsuits in your state, especially if you attend college in a state like Texas, Oklahoma, or Minnesota. Look into private scholarships and institutional aid that are not tied to state residency status. What started as a quiet policy rollback has now become a legal strategy with national reach. For undocumented students, the cost of college in the US may soon become even harder to bear. (with AP inputs) TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here. Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. 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